Clinton Portis’s Next Team

Former Redskins running back Clinton Portis discussed his future a few months back with Sirius NFL Radio, via CSN Washington. Portis mentioned that he wants to play against the Redskins and would like to have an elite quarterback behind him.

With those two things as his criteria, the Cowboys, Giants and Eagles would all make some amount of sense. You could argue that Eli Manning isn’t an elite quarterback I would probably concede that much but they do play Washington twice a year. Dallas is dealing with some injuries to their running backs as Demarco Murray and Tashard Choice are both hurt so there’s a chance there.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter offered his take on the situation.

“Teams aren’t going to jump out there and pay any money to any running backs, including the big-name ones, at this point. So until teams suffer training camp injuries, it’s going to be slow. And then there’s the flipside. If you’re Portis, and you’ve made millions in your career, and your body is beaten up a bit, do you want to come back to play football for the veteran minimum salary? It’s not just teams that have to make a choice; Portis does, too.”

This is a great point by Schefter as it illustrates the issue that issues that veteran running backs are faced with in the modern NFL. The running back position has the highest emphasis on speed and agility which are the first attributes to go for any athlete. Considering that their job is essentially to take hits from opposing defenses, they’re are more likely to get worn done. The premium has shifted to young talent which makes the likelihood of a another Emmitt Smith seem like a longshot to say the least.